Various stackable containers are known in the art for holding various materials. However, there is no stackable refuse system for home use known in the art.
With the increase in disposable products, there has been a significant increase in the solid waste generated per household. A result of this increase is that many solid waste landfills are at or near capacity and new landfills are not available, due to environmental concerns, for accepting the additional waste load. Many of the solid waste items are made of recyclable materials, such as plastic, glass or metal. Previously, efforts have been made to separate these materials at the point of disposal. For example, using magnets and large screening or gravimetric equipment to separate the waste prior to incineration. The equipment involved is very expensive to purchase and maintain and is generally not completely effective. Such equipment is generally not used for landfill waste.
Efforts have also been made to have garbage separated at the point of inception, i.e., in the home. These have been unsuccessful as it is considered inconvenient to separate the recyclable materials from the non-recyclable materials. For example, if one were to have a container for each recyclable material, 3 or more trash bins would be needed and this would require too much space. Consequently, a need has arisen for a system to provide ease in separating recyclable materials from non-recyclable materials in the home without taking up substantial space.